Onto Chapter 3! We get more funsies and feels in this chapter, as well as Alexander settling in. And then gearing up for action. Hopefully entertaining.

I haven't fact-checked all the various details from the show, but only because I'm fairly confident of their accuracy, and because they aren't pivotal for the plot.

Oh, and Alexander doesn't seem to have a last name in the series, so I gave him the last name of his actor.

This also moves kind of fast, but I don't want to dick around and lose my momentum, so we iz movin.

(-)

Letting myself into the Grimm's house was a strange experience. It was so quiet. And I had been so singularly focused on Nick when he first invited me in that I didn't notice the sparce decorations. Things were clearly missing from the walls and on the tables. If forced to put a name to it, I would say it lacked a woman's touch.

Nick's girlfriend had left him, I knew that much. Even a Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen wasn't cut out to be partner to a Grimm. So no doubt I was seeing what was left after she moved out.

I moved into the kitchen with my groceries. Taking a look in the fridge, I saw a few extra items I had hoped for. Perfect. It didn't take long to locate the pans and utensils I would need, so I dove into preparations.

I had a roast in the oven and three different pots on the stove when Nick came home. I didn't hear him come in, only started in alarm when he said, "Are you kidding me?"

Looking over, I felt somewhat self-conscious. I had certainly made myself at home in his kitchen, but he said I could use it. "Not kidding you, no." My hand briefly rubbed the back of my neck, a nervous habit I thought I had broken myself of years ago.

A disbelieving smile spread over his face and I relaxed as he said, "That's more like a feast than a meal!"

I didn't let myself purr at that, though I wanted to. "I like meat, but I made a salad and have a vegetarian casserole as well for Monroe."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that." He looked at the pots and said, "I guess I should stay out of your way, huh?"

Perhaps too quickly, I said, "Stay." At least it didn't come out sounding like a plea. "As long as you don't start fiddling with the food itself, you won't bother me."

"Mind if I start cleaning up some of the dishes?" he asked, gesturing to the cutting boards, mixing bowls, and utensils I had left in my wake.

"Of course, let me help-"

Nick didn't let me finish. "And leave the feast unattended? No way." That smile…not quite playful, not quite fond…a subtle mixture of emotions that I couldn't decipher.

As he started doing the dishes, some part of me relaxed. I was pretty sure my instincts saw Nick's sharing his space with me and working with me in the kitchen as an indicator that he would welcome my presence in other places as well. Even if it wasn't true, it was far too pleasant to attend to the food as I heard him cleaning up behind me.

"So, I didn't peg you as a chef," he said after some time.

I smirked, and my mouth ran away from me. "As an assassin, it's always possible you might need to poison someone, so it's important to know how to make it with a dish so you can't smell, see, or taste it. And it's important for the food to be so delicious that your target can't help but eat it."

A strange noise had me turning to look at Nick. His back was to me, and he was hunched over the sink. I scarcely had time to worry before he started laughing. Those broad shoulders were shaking with mirth, and I wasn't sure what to say.

He didn't need me to say anything as he turned around, trying to calm himself. "Oh, please don't tell anyone else that!" Now that smile was definitely playful. "I'm the one who really trusts you, so I have no problems eating your delicious, non-poisoned food. That information would probably give the rest of them pause."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. He looked at me and said, "Hold that thought," before turning to answer it.

It was Hank. He had brought a bottle of wine, and came into the kitchen. He set the bottle on the counter and said, "Smells good." Then he looked at the pots and asked, "You didn't poison this, did you?"

Nick, who had been setting the table, burst into laughter again. As I got the serving dishes ready, I rolled my eyes. "No poison, but if you want me to try your food before you eat it, I will."

Now Hank was peering into the dining area at Nick. "No, no need for that; just asking. What's wrong with Nick?"

"I'm not sure any of us are capable of answering that," I said.

"Hey!" I smirked at the protest from the other room.

Another knock on the door. It was Monroe and Rosalee, and they had brought some kind of pie. I inhaled more deeply as she brought it into the kitchen. Cherry. Interesting choice. Coming from Monroe's house, I would expect some vegetable concoction. "This looks amazing, Alexander," she said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"But it smells…" We looked up at Monroe who had followed her. His eyes were red as he inhaled. "Like delicious meat," he finished.

I instantly felt guilty about the roast. Rosalee, however, was calm and practical. "Come on," she said, pushing the Blutbad back out of the kitchen. "Nick, can you open a window? We're going to wait on the porch and greet Chris and Alli."

I heard a window open, and Nick appeared in the kitchen, looking between Hank and me. "Was the smell too much?"

"Yes," I said. "I'd hoped it wouldn't be an issue, but since I only had vegetarian dishes last night…"

"It'll be okay," Hank said, surprising me. "Monroe has really strong willpower."

I got everything ready to serve and heard the door open again. "Chris and Alli are here," Rosalee called. There was a sudden bustle of noise as four people came in and headed to sit in the dining room.

Surprising me again, Hank offered to take some of the dishes out to the table. He returned to grab the wine and bring that into the dining room too. Nick came in, opened the fridge and said, "Hey, Alli? Do you want juice, soda, or water?"

"Um, water, please," came the timid reply.

Before he could leave, I asked Nick, "Maybe open a second window? I'm going to take the roast out of the oven, but I don't want to upset Monroe."

"Good idea," he said, and gave me another smile, this one melting something inside me. I heard him say, "Alexander is done with the roast," at the same time I heard a window open. Then he came back in as I was wondering where to put the dish. "I gotcha covered," he said, and reached into a cupboard and brought out a small, short metal platform that would keep the dish from touching the tablecloth.

He set it down on the table just in time for me to lay the dish on top. I glanced over at the Blutbad, who was taking shallow breaths and looking like he was trying to meditate. "I'm sorry about the meat," I said, because I hadn't thought it would be this bad.

"We understand," Rosalee said, one hand gently rubbing over Monroe's. She looked at me and said, "You need to eat meat, or you get weak, right?"

"Yes," I said, a little surprised she knew that. This woman was a veritable wealth of knowledge on Wesen and apothecary topics. "Last night was delicious, but…"

"It didn't satiate your needs," Nick said, and I really wished he hadn't phrased it like that. It reminded me of other needs that weren't being sated. Ones my instincts told me he was uniquely equipped to handle.

I sat down at Nick's right as he sat at the head of the table, with Chris and Alli on my other side. Monroe, Rosalee, and Hank were across from us. It was quiet for a bit as everyone was served, and then Rosalee said, "So, Alli had a difficult day at school today."

The girl shrank under the eyes of everyone at the table. Chris, who looked surprised, asked, "What happened, Alli Cat?"

"Um…" She looked uncertain.

"Go ahead, you can tell them," Rosalee said, warm encouragement in her tone and her smile.

"There's a Blutbad at my school who scares me," Alli said in a rush.

"Do I need to-?" Nick started to ask.

"It's Holly," Monroe said.

He might have said more, but Hank suddenly said, "Wait, Holly Clark is a Blutbad?"

Monroe scowled at Nick. "You need to go over all your old case files since you became a Grimm and catch him up, man; at this point he should not be saying stuff like that."

Nick just gave him a smile and said, voice laced with sarcasm, "Well, when people stop killing each other, Hank and I can sit down and talk about all the other times people killed each other and Wesen were involved."

"Wait, this girl killed people?" Chris was alarmed now, arm moving to bring his daughter, who had squeaked, closer.

I could tell Hank was taking offense on this Blutbad girl's behalf. "She was abducted when she was seven and left to grow up in the woods for nine years by herself. She did what she had to to survive, and she saved lives from bad men."

"Including mine," Monroe said. "Her mother is Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen now, but even if I introduced them to some tamer members of the Blutbad community, she's still pretty wild." He looked at Chris. "I'll talk to her. I was the first Wesen she met; she didn't know what she was either."

"Really?" Alli asked, suddenly interested.

"Y'know, Addison's claims that she bit a chunk out of his leg make more sense now; he really picked the wrong little girl to abduct," Hank said.

Conversation was relatively tame after that. Everyone was almost done eating dessert when there was a knock at the door. Nick frowned and got up to answer it. "Captain?"

That got my attention instantly, and I stealthed my way through the kitchen and next to the computer desk near the door. I sidled along the edge until I was leaning in the doorway. Nick's boss didn't notice me, but I was sure Nick had heard.

"Nick, I've got a contact who gave me some information that you'll want to hear," he said.

"Okay," Nick said, his tone dubious.

"There are over a dozen Reapers on the way to Portland right now, and they want your head," Nick's boss said.

I heard Rosalee gasp and Monroe growl. Hank stood up and came closer, also not noticing me. Nick's captain looked at the dining area and said, "Oh, good, you're already here." Looking back at Nick, he said, "They also have an approved list of Wesen associated with you that are also to be eliminated."

Now Nick growled. Then he said, "I thought they aren't supposed to come into your territory without your permission. And why now?"

The Captain scowled. "My contact is on the Wesen Council. They approved the hit. I'm told the Reapers received a couple of heads a few years back at their headquarters with a challenge attached. They've been building a force to answer it since then. And the Council apparently lost one of their own to Portland's Grimm, and they aren't pleased."

Really? This was their response? "Cowards," I spat, a growl bubbling up in my chest.

Everyone besides Nick jumped. The Captain was the first to recover, looking me over. "You must be Alexander Conway, since the man shielding the girl is likely Christopher Gatti and his daughter Allison. Those were the only three on the list that I didn't recognize."

"What?" Chris asked. "What do you mean? What are Reapers?"

"Later," Monroe said.

"What about Bud?" Nick asked. That was the brave little Eisbieber to befriend the Grimm, as I recalled.

"He and his family are visiting the Hoover Dam, so they're safe for now." The Captain looked at Nick. "I don't need to tell you how serious this is, but I will say that Hank should stay out of it."

"Captain!" Hank protested.

The Captain shook his head. "The Wesen Council have clearly lost their minds, and I don't want your presence to make them green light attacking all the humans Nick works with too." He looked back at Nick. "Who did you kill that pissed them off like this?"

Another growl escaped me. "He didn't kill anyone; I quit."

"For Nick?" the Captain asked.

I was glad years of training kept me from flinching, or worse, blushing, at that question. "For myself. I won't be a servant to those ungrateful, egomaniacal bastards anymore."

"Then why are they blaming Nick?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "They probably blame me for giving him ideas about being treated better; they sent him to spy on me for almost a month before this."

Now the Captain narrowed his eyes and looked between Nick and me. "And he's eating dinner at your house?"

"Not important." Nick sighed. "Thank you for the heads-up; I have some planning to do now."

"Good." He looked at Nick's partner. "And I'm serious, Hank. No contact with Nick outside of work until this is over."

"Fine," Hank said, grumbling.

"Goodnight and good luck," the Captain said before he left.

There was a short silence before Nick said, "Damn it."

Alli started softly crying. I turned to see her father holding her close, rubbing a hand up and down her spine. The love between the Klaustreich and Mausherz was still amazing. He looked at Monroe and said, "Reapers?"

"Reapers of the Grimms," Nick said, moving towards them. "I'm really sorry you got dragged into this."

Before anything else could be said, Hank said, "I should leave if I'm staying out of this." Then he looked at Nick and said, "Whatever the Captain says doesn't matter. If you need me, call me." He looked around at the rest of us and said, "Stay safe," before leaving.

"Why attack Wesen if they are supposed to be for Grimms?" Chris asked.

"Because befriending a Grimm is a radical new concept, and people don't like change." Monroe snorted. "They already beat the shit out of me once when Nick and I were still relatively new friends."

"Nick, he said over twelve Reapers," Rosalee said.

"That won't be enough if we're smart," I said. But then a thought struck me, and I turned to Nick. "You were the one who sent the heads to Manheim?" It had caused quite a stir, and the Reapers had been very cagey when anyone asked who had done it.

"With Monroe's help," Nick said. "And the note told them to send their best next time."

The predator in me was quite pleased with that idea. "I suggest that however this goes down, we do our best to kill them without getting the police involved. Makes it easier to collect more heads."

That got a grin from the Grimm. "I like how you think."

"Uh, guys? Can we pause the creepy head talk and figure out how to survive this?" Monroe asked. "Chris and Alli in particular really didn't sign up for this."

"Of course," I said. "Strength in numbers makes sense. No one should go anywhere alone; it makes them easier prey."

"But Alli has school, and I have work," Chris said.

"Where do you work?" Nick asked.

"Scrapyard down on 5th."

"That isn't too far from the school," Rosalee said.

"But Alli gets out long before I get off work."

"Rosalee and I can pick her up," Monroe said.

Thinking about it, I said, "If the two are close in proximity, I can linger in the area until they get Alli, then stay near Chris until he's off work."

"But what about their house?" Rosalee asked. "With just the two of them, it's not really safe."

"And I'd prefer not to have a fight in my sanctuary with all my delicate clocks," Monroe said.

It was a good point. My motel room wasn't too bad; not a lot of options to get in and the close quarters made the advantage of numbers more of a hindrance. But Chris and Alli's little house and Monroe and Rosalee's nicely furnished home had a lot of disadvantages.

"We can all stay here," Nick said. When we all just stared at him, he said, "Safety in numbers, right? And it's not like there isn't room; Monroe and Rosalee can take the master bedroom, Chris and Alli can have the guest bedroom, and Alexander could sleep on the couch down here."

"I think you're missing someone there, buddy," Monroe said. "Where do you plan to sleep, at work?"

Nick glanced at the living area. "There are two couches," he said with a shrug. Then he looked at me and said, "But I call the Eisbieber quilt."

"Three predator Wesen, two less aggressive Wesen, and a Grimm. I think there's a reality TV show in the works here," Monroe said.

"Like you watch reality TV," Nick said.

"If they would write better scripts…" Rosalee said.

The Blutbad cleared his throat. "Moving on. Everyone on board with the Grimm House?"

Chris squeezed his daughter closer. "I'd feel safer with more people protecting Alli."

"The couch quite honestly might be better than the bed in my motel room," I said.

When Rosalee nodded, Monroe said, "Okay, let the ultimate Grimm/Wesen sleepover begin tonight."

(-)

After everyone had parted to pack, I stayed behind to help clean up. Nick had asked, "Don't you want to get your things?"

"Safety in numbers, remember?" I said as I helped clear the table. "Can't leave the Grimm alone and undefended."

Nick snorted. "Very funny. But won't that leave you on your own later when you get your stuff?"

A low, pleased growl rose in me. "I'd like them to try something." Because while I might not be able to take twelve at once, I could certainly take down a number of them before I had to retreat.

"Unemployment already too boring for you?" he asked, taking the dishes I passed him and loading them into the dishwasher.

"Not when I'm spending time with a Grimm plotting how to take on over a dozen Reapers." It occurred to me that if Nick had a dishwasher, he hadn't really needed to hand wash the dishes he had earlier. Which would imply he was just looking for an excuse to linger in the kitchen.

Now he was watching me. "I hadn't planned it, but it's good that you and I will be the first line of defense if they try to attack the house at night."

I started to purr but stifled it quickly and went to grab more dishes. Nick recognized me as the worthiest predator of the group. Granted that aside from him there wasn't much competition. Monroe was a Blutbad, but he was a vegetarian clockmaker as well. Chris might be a Klaustreich, but all he had was raw instinct. As a trained and seasoned assassin, I was far more dangerous than either of them.

"No one will get by us," I said confidently. "How likely do you think it will be for us to collect all the heads?"

"Depends how and where they attack. If they do it somewhere isolated, it's more likely we'll have the privacy to take their heads. Of course, then we'll have more than twelve bodies to deal with as well."

"I can probably help with that," I said. When there was no reply, I looked up and saw Nick leaning back from the sink to look at me curiously. "I didn't become successful at my job by leaving a lot of evidence behind."

He smiled, and I still didn't understand how he could accept me. He was a cop as well as a Grimm, so a Wesen assassin should go wholly against his instincts. The Grimm asked, "Do I want to know how?"

"Not if you're looking to have plausible deniability." I grabbed the last of the dishes and went back into the kitchen.

That got me a soft laugh. "True enough. But…you don't have to do everything alone anymore. Especially if its about covering for us."

Nothing in my life had ever compared to this feeling. I'd never felt this kind of need before. Sure, I'd slept with a few women in the past, but never more than once. And I'd never had these kinds of thoughts about a man.

And beyond the physical appeal, the emotional attraction was well beyond my previous threshold. I had assumed that my lack of romantic desire for others had stemmed from my detaching myself from my emotions in order to be good at my job. But if that was true, Nick broke through all my defenses without trying.

I suddenly knew I needed to get out of that kitchen before I did something I shouldn't. "I think I will go get my things."

"Okay," I heard Nick say as I hurriedly left.

(-)

It didn't take long to get my bags and check out, but I had other plans as well. I went to a few different hardware stores and got supplies for dealing with bodies. With the amount I needed to buy, it would attract attention to get them from just one place. Then, after doing some research on my phone, I found the perfect place: a funeral home close to a graveyard just outside of town. It had closed down after the owners went bankrupt, and it had a crematorium.

When I went to check it out, I was a little concerned that someone else would have realized the opportune place to dispose of bodies, but no gang members or serial killers were waiting. In fact, the place seemed entirely undisturbed judging by the layer of dust on everything.

By the time I got back to Nick's house, it was late, and all the lights were out except one in the living room. Picking up my bags, I realized I still had the spare key in my pocket as I approached the front door. I didn't need it, though; Nick opened the door before I got there, frowning at me.

"Where have you been?" he asked in a low voice, and I was surprised to hear the worry he wasn't bothering to hide.

"Making preparations." I wasn't sure why that was an issue; I had said I would take care of things, so I wanted to be ready to keep my promise.

He pulled me inside, locking the door behind me. I saw that one couch had a colorful quilt on it, one Nick had obviously been lying under when I arrived. The pillow still had a dip in it as well. Another pillow and blanket were settled neatly on the other couch, waiting for me.

"You left to get your stuff and were gone for hours and hours for something that should have taken a half-hour at most!" That grey gaze was accusing, and I hadn't considered that to be a problem.

"No one cares where I am," I said, setting my things down with a shrug.

Nick advanced on me, and I found myself backing up until I hit a wall; the anger in that gaze was breathtaking. "Maybe the Council didn't, but we do." He growled lightly. "We just got told there's a death squad of Reapers being sent after us and you don't think disappearing is a problem?"

I moved forward, pushing against and past him, not satisfied to behave like prey. "I told you I could handle myself."

It took me by surprise when he pulled me back against the wall, and a low, feline growl escaped me at the aggression. He was asking for a fight. That is, until he said, "You aren't alone anymore. Other people care what happens to you. You can't do this kind of thing."

The softer voice and gentler gaze had the atmosphere changing rapidly; now the closeness felt intimate, not challenging. I made sure to remind myself that the inappropriate thoughts and ideas growing in me from this encounter should not be enacted, as it would end badly.

Still, we had several moments of just breathing slightly heavier and staring each other down, and the further we got from the anger, the harder it was to pretend I wasn't loving the close proximity. How easy it would be to take him by surprise and reverse our positions, pinning him against the wall with a kiss. I couldn't help but wonder how he'd respond. Violence? Awkward refusal? Perhaps…enthusiasm?

I was getting close to physical arousal, which at this proximity would be disastrous. Luckily Nick chose that moment to sigh and let go, turning away. "Just call next time and let us know you've changed your plans. So we don't worry."

He was using the plural, but everyone wasn't down here waiting for me to get back. Just Nick. Really, this whole thing was encouraging my feelings. "Why didn't you call me?" He had my number.

Now I saw the Grimm blush before looking away. "I…didn't want you to think I didn't think you can handle yourself."

Eyebrow raised, I said, "And this?" It was hardly a vote of confidence.

"I should just call next time instead of letting it build up to this."

Smiling, I said, "So we both learned a valuable lesson about communication."

That got a wry smile from the Grimm. "I guess so." Then he eyed my bags. "The guest bathroom is upstairs on the left at the end if you want to get ready for bed.

I got my toiletry bag and a pair of pajamas and headed up the stairs. As I changed and brushed my teeth, I couldn't get that encounter out of my head. He had been so close, leaning his body in to keep me against the wall. That Grimm smell still lingered on me. Oh, if I stayed here much longer, I'd probably get addicted to his scent as well as those eyes.

It was a dangerous situation. The comparably safe situation with the Reapers was something I was equipped to handle. Perhaps, instead of playing defense, I might go hunting once we knew they were here. How satisfying it would be to ambush prey, to cut down those who would harm me and mine.

Mine. It was an odd thought, that I now had people to call mine. And I knew that it applied to the whole group, but the one I truly wanted to possess was Nick. But calling the Grimm "Mine" was unlikely to happen, however non-traditional he was. He had shown no interest in men that I'd seen or heard of. Of course, I wasn't interested in men either. Just him.

When I got back downstairs, he was underneath the quilt, but not asleep. His eyes followed me down the stairs, and I wasn't sure what to make of the sudden smile and stifled laugh. "What?"

"I'm not sure what I expected, but it really should have been that," he said.

I looked at my pajamas. This set was red and had thin white vertical lines. "What is wrong with my pajamas?"

"Nothing," Nick said, though laughter was still lurking in his voice. "But it couldn't just be a t-shirt and pajama pants or sweats. It's a matching set with a button-up top and cuffs on the sleeves." Now he outright laughed a little. "Do you catch fire if you wear jeans and a t-shirt?"

I scowled at him, no real heat behind the expression, and said, "I'll have you know that I've worn all kinds of things. It's my job to blend in, and wardrobe is often part of that."

"Well, it's not your job anymore," he said, watching as I settled in on the other couch.

That was true. There were no expectations on how I dressed anymore. But while I didn't think I would catch fire in jeans and a t-shirt, I liked dressing with class. Although now I wondered what Nick would say if he saw me in such casual attire.

We both settled in, and Nick turned out the light, but neither of us fell asleep. "I'm curious," I said after a while. "If I wake up before you, will my movement wake you? That hearing of yours is astonishing."

"It's kind of hard to explain," he said. "You would wake me, but not fully. I seem able to distinguish between unusual noises and familiar ones enough that familiar noises are dismissed, and I go back to sleep. That's a good thing, or I would have gotten zero sleep back when Juliette was here. If Chris and Alli come down, I'll probably wake up. But I know what Monroe and Rosalee sound like, and I've been listening to you for almost a month."

It was pleasantly surprising how he held nothing back now, giving me a full account of his abilities. And that I was categorized as "familiar" was also satisfying. The mention of his ex-girlfriend soured things a bit. "How long did it take for her to become familiar?"

"We'd been living together for years before this happened, so it didn't take long."

I didn't know why I had asked, the answer just irritated me more. However… "'Happened'? You haven't always had incredible hearing?"

Nick chuckled. "Definitely not. I was blinded by a Jinnamuru Xunte."

I sat up, eyes Woging to see him better in the dark. "What?!"

"Yeah, it wasn't fun. But after that my hearing was supernaturally strong. It's another side-effect of being a Grimm affected by Wesen abilities."

"'After'?" I asked. "You mean after worms ate out your eyes?!"

The Grimm turned on the table lamp and smiled at me. "Do I look like my eyes were eaten?"

No, he didn't. With only a partial Woge, they weren't entirely black, just…dark. It was a little disappointing, but I had no reason to fully Woge, and with the light on, I let my eyes go back to normal. "But how did you regain your sight?"

"Well, this is one of many times I'd be lost without Rosalee. She discovered that the eye of the Jinnamuru Xunte held a kind of antidote, or antibodies that kept the worms in his brain from blinding him. So we found the guy who blinded me and scooped his eye out with a spoon while he was in full Woge."

"Nasty business," I said, because even a lot of my stories weren't quite so grotesque. Eye-scooping was a line I'd never had to cross.

Nick chuckled. "The benefits ended up outweighing the bad experience. As a Grimm, it's an advantage that has saved my life many times." He smirked at me. "And it's helpful for keeping track of stealthy friends."

Friends. While part of me relished that he already considered me such, another part felt "friend-zoned" which was ridiculous because that was the only zone I could occupy anyway. His friendship was a privilege, one I didn't truly deserve.

Turning off the light again, Nick said, "Let's try to get some sleep. We're both safe with another predator watching our backs, right?"

"Of course." And after it had been put in those terms it was easier to relax and fall asleep, knowing Nick's ears would give us advance warning if there was danger. He was an incredible, nigh-miraculous Grimm. One that I wished was mine.

(-)

So, I know Monroe doesn't react like that to all meat, but the idea was that the roast had been simmering for hours and the smell was built up. It's also meant to imply that Alexander's cooking is just that good.

Also, I'm aware that Wesen can't necessarily make their animal noises without Woging at all, but I'm a cat person, and I love when cat people make animal noises while they look like people. I have a werecat in my original fiction that does it all the time.

Oh, and it's my head-cannon that Rosalee's aunt has an addiction to reality TV, so she was forced to watch a lot of it while helping her recover.

The funeral home and crematorium are extremely convenient, I know. They will only become more so, so I hope they don't strain credulity.

I hope you're still enjoying this, and that it isn't careening into Complete OOC Canyon and ruining things. I'd love to know how you feel about that, and about the story overall. Feel free to review, and I should have more coming. It's Reaper Time.